Chapter 36: The Art of Ink Magic

We spent a night in the dorms, which are located in the main building of the school. There are many rooms on the first floor. We took four rooms in the eastern wing of the school, with white marble flooring and red carpets that gave off a regal feeling. The symbol of a lion is displayed in the main open hall as we walk to our individual rooms. There are a few students scattered around, but it seems that most of them are already in their dorms, presumably studying. Quinn offers to share a room with Yuna so he can keep an eye on her since he doesn't need to sleep. Once we get into our room, sleep takes me rather quickly as I collapse into the bed. The room isn't very spacious maybe because there is so many on this floor; it has one queen-sized bed in the middle, with two drawers on the side and a desk in the front. The bed itself is very comfortable, and I drift off into a dreamless night. I wake up to a knock on my door at 7:00 a.m., my eyes still tired as I get ready for a long day.

When we wake up, we don't eat in the cafeteria with the other students, but instead, Altaria guides us to the courtyard. The others look groggy, except for Quinn. We have scrambled eggs, apples, and a piece of white bread toast for breakfast. The good breakfast perks me up as I wash it down with some orange juice. Yuna pokes at her food, seeming a bit withdrawn. Lulith eats quietly, Quinn barely eats as usual, but he munches on a few apple slices, while Lysandra devours her meal in a matter of minutes. She smiles and says, "I haven't had food this good in ages. Maybe I should forget the gang life forever and just live here."

Altaria smiles and replies, "I'm glad you liked it. A light breakfast packed with simple nutrients should be just what you kids need to start the day." Once breakfast is over, she states, "I have called one of our teachers, someone you might recognize, to help us out here." A man walks over as if he had been waiting for his cue from around the corner. I recognize him as Professor Theodore Princeton. He looks rather rough, still with bandages over his stomach, but he is alive. He greets us, "Nice to see you again in one piece. Let me start by saying thank you. I wouldn't be your teacher today if I were dead. Aurelia wanted to come today too, but she has her studies here to attend to. Let me reintroduce myself: I am Professor Theodore Princeton of Everglint Institute of Arcane Arts. I teach history here at the school, to be more specific, my class is called History of Magical Applications."

Altaria smiles and adds, "Yes, and today he will be providing some guidance for your training. I have given him some guidelines to follow. I will separate myself from the main group in order to work with two of you personally. Lucius and Yuna, please step forward. You will join me away from the rest of the group. You will be under my special training regime. I will provide you with the bulk of your learning today, and tomorrow, there will be more practical real exercises." I nod and say, "Sounds good." Yuna responds, "Dammit, why should I have to train with the enemy?' Altaria smiles and reassures her, "Don't worry; you will be nothing but a training dummy, as I said yesterday."

We made our way to the north edge of the courtyard, away from the others, closer to the fountain in the garden area. The air smelled crisp, and the scent of roses wafted from the nearby plants. This garden was truly something else; it was very large and artistically designed, with each part seemingly measured down to the centimeter. Altaria began, "Alright, Lucius, let me start by gauging one aspect of your magic. Do you know what magical affinity you are proficient in?" I shook my head, "We were never given affinity tests in Astralum, so I have no idea; it never seemed important." Altaria nodded, "I figured, and I can't sense any of your magic affinity from here like I could with Lysandra, since your magic is a lot less dense." She got closer to me, putting her hand on my forehead, "Let me check for you. I will have to concentrate for a moment, so try to remain still and quiet."

After a few moments of concentration, she jerked back, "What the... this is highly unusual. I feel multiple responses. Boy, you really were born under the wrong star. It is a shame your magic is so weak because your affinity is anything but weak. Let's see here." She continued to concentrate, "You have an affinity for quantum, death, and what is this... no, it can't be, is that celestial I feel?" She pulled her hand away, "I truly pity you to be a tri-affinity mage like myself, but with such little capacity for magic!" I frowned, "Ouch, could you try not to destroy my spirit before we even start." Altaria frowned herself, "Sorry, it's just... unfortunate. However, I found what I was looking for. Quantum magic is quite rare, but not nearly as rare as celestial or death. Truly, your existence would defy even the gods' expectations." She sighed, "Alright, enough of that. Let's move on. I was looking to see if you had an affinity for Quantum magic. Thank the gods you do, or I'm afraid you could never properly be a rune mage. I told you yesterday, every rune mage has one thing in common; they all have an affinity for ink magic, no exceptions. In order to cast ink magic, you need quantum magic."

I asked, "What is the other type of magic you would need to have? Do I have it?" Altaria explained, "Unfortunately, no, you don't, but that is okay." She took out a brand with a ~+ symbol on it as she continued, "Normally, for a regular mage, this would be a pointless thing to do since it provides very little magic. However, it was common for rune mages without an affinity for water to brand themselves with a seal of water in order to allow them to cast water spells. This seal, when charged with a user's magic, can allow one to summon small amounts of water magic. All an ink spell needs is water magic and quantum magic to exist. With this, you will have both. It will sting a bit, but if you want to save your friend, I highly suggest you use this. I would use less permanent methods, but if I just use a marker, it could come off in battle, so this is the go-to option."

I didn't even have to think about it; I needed strength above all right now. I nodded, "Please brand me with the water seal." She asked, "Alright, just tell me where you want it." I pointed to the back of my hand, "Right here is fine." She snapped her fingers, and flames began to dance on her fingers as she heated up the brand. Once she was done, I held out my right hand, and she bound my hands tightly with light magic as she brought it closer. The only gap in the binding was just big enough for the brand, and she placed it on my skin. The brand burned painfully as I held back my screams, but soon after she applied it, she took it off. The skin had burned away, and she quickly healed the area with her light magic, soothing the pain. In its place, the wavy seal remained etched onto my skin as a scar that would be there forever.

She said, pleased, "Right, with that taken care of, let me charge it for you the first time." She concentrated for a moment, and the seal glowed baby blue for a moment. I felt the seal fill with power as I said, excited, "Thanks, Altaria; your help is truly indispensable." She waved her staff, "Just giving you the best chance, my boy; you'll need it. Now, on to the real lesson, the nitty-gritty of this entire thing, the ink magic. First, I will tell you why this ink magic is so important. You will mold your ink into runes, which you will be able to cast much faster than with paper. The gauntlet Dr. Elora has provided for you is amazing, but it is slow. Inserting paper to change spells is way too slow. You'll still get the magic advantages from it naturally, as you won't burn your hand every time you cast a fire spell. Oh and one other thing is your rune magic will always be limited to just two rune slots. That can't do. The advantage of rune magic is the usage of multiple runes at once."

I asked, "How did the rune mages in your time cast spells without items like this gauntlet?" Altaria answered, "There are several ways. They either engraved their runes onto separate items like staffs, something durable enough not to be replaced often, used other magic to compensate for their explosive magic, or there is a third option. They used magic for which they already had an affinity. Magic you have an affinity for will never damage you when you cast it."

She continued, "With that out of the way, my dear boy, let's move on to learning ink magic, which will make your spells faster, give you more options, and leave you less open in battle. Begin by clearing your mind of all distractions," Altaria advised. "Close your eyes and focus on the energy within you. Feel it coursing through the seal and through your veins as it merges into your fingers. Picture the spell you want to cast in your mind. See it clearly, as if it's already happening. Magic is all about visualization. I suggest you think of your finger as the pencil you will use to write with. With a steady hand, draw the symbol associated with the rune or runes you want to use. As you complete the symbol, release the energy you've channeled into it. Feel the connection between you and the ink, and let it flow into the world as your spell takes effect."

I concentrated as I followed her instructions. I felt the ink flowing freely out of my fingers; it didn't feel too difficult as I drew a simple rune in the air. I attempted to draw a very simple water rune, and then I felt it—a cold drop of liquid hit my thigh. I opened my eyes excited and noticed a stain on my pants; ink had dripped from my finger and run down my thigh. It appeared I had failed. Altaria laughed a little, "This will take at least a couple of hours. Take your time; this is the most important step for you." Yuna laughed from a nearby bench as she boredly rested her hand on her chin and mocked, "Maybe you should consider a career in abstract art. This could be your masterpiece. Wow, I am sure the covenant will be shaking with you coming after them." I ignored her, and Altaria gave her a sharp look, "Training dummies should keep their mouth shut until spoken to." I sighed; she was right. I had a long road to earn my place in this group. I would have to work hard to earn my right to call myself the head of the Grin Reapers.